three stanzas for jerry, now he's gone

for Jerry Beauvoir-Ramirez, my friend and mentor






the space is defunct
windows are going kerplunk
john has left the building
and i live wired to a stolen typewriter

you had your chinese proverbs
one for every occasion
talkative like a chatter bomb
wise and warm like apple pie

even when you die
you take it like a serious project
having it your way, disguised
in old college sweaters you never attended

of course i had more than three stanzas
for you my friend, we miss so much your wicked wit
and resourceful liquor and wine cellar,
the triumph of blue collar over corporate America

for you, globalization was hookers from Albania
twin janitors from Uruguay
the cheap cambodian food joint at the end of 13th Street
and easy access to hardcore japanese manga

yeah, that was your subtle revenge
on everything imposed
on your bad luck as the smartest of the outcasts
may your awful taste be appreciated wherever you are now


jordan mcallister (Des Moines, IA, 1983)